


That Forest Dream

by Alshoruzen



Series: Spirit Verse [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fantasy, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Spirits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-03-31 08:53:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13971600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alshoruzen/pseuds/Alshoruzen
Summary: Shinichi has been visiting the forest by his village since he was a child. Unbeknownst to him, he has caught the eye of the guardian spirit that lives there. KaiShin





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: KaitoxShinichi
> 
> Chapter Rating: M
> 
> Warnings: Graphic Content
> 
> Note: This is part of my "Different Suns" collection of KaiShin fantasy AUs on FF.Net which can be found here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9719934/1/Different-Suns

The first time he saw Shinichi, the boy had been six. He'd wandered into the forest carrying a book almost as big as he was clutched against his chest.

Surprised to see such a young child walking alone and unprotected through his forest, Kaito had taken it upon himself to keep a watchful eye over the boy. He had made sure that the more dangerous of the wild beasts of his realm didn't find the boy. Unaware of his self-appointed guardian, Shinichi had found himself a comfortable spot by the river under the shade of the trees. There, he read until the sun dropped low in the sky. Then, with a reluctant sigh, he had bookmarked his page, rose, and headed back to the village.

From that day on, Shinichi often returned, always with a book, and always alone.

-0-

"Back again, Little One?" he inquired, walking silent and unseen beside the boy as he wandered along one of the deer trails headed for the river. Naturally, the boy didn't answer. It had been two years since Shinichi's first visit. Now eight, he hadn't grown much at all. Over the months, however, the boy had grown more daring, venturing deeper into the forest and staying longer than it was probably wise for a child his age to do.

"You're lucky this is my forest, you know," the spirit remarked as the child picked out a spot on a flat rock that jutted out over the bank of the river. It was one of the boy's favorite places to read whenever he came early. Later, as the day grew warmer, he would move into the shade, usually finding a comfortable tree to lean against. "It's dangerous for someone so young to spend so much time wandering alone where no one would hear a cry for help."

His warning went unheeded. He was accustomed to that though. There were humans who were more attuned to the spirit world, but they were rare, and even among them, those who could communicate directly with his kind were scarce. It had been centuries since he'd last seen such a human.

The sound of a soft sigh and a heavy book thumping shut drew his attention back to his little charge. Shinichi had stood up and started to talk to the air. Kaito smiled to himself. Recently, Shinichi had started to play these games. It seemed he had a particular fondness for mysteries, and lately he'd started pretending that he was a detective and acting out his own little crime-solving adventures. It was through these little one-man skits that Kaito had learned Shinichi's name.

The boy was no master actor, but he was certainly enthusiastic about his role. It was cute, but also just a little bit sad.

"Don't you have anyone to play with, Little One?" he mused, watching as the boy pretended to scour the bushes for some important clue or other that would prove that the duke was the one who'd run off with the royal family's heirloom ring.

"So you see, your Majesty, he's been fooling all of us all along," Shinichi concluded.

Hopping up, Kaito stood in front of him. "Very impressive, Detective Shinichi. Thanks to your efforts, my daughter's wedding can proceed as planned. You have my deepest gratitude. Rest assured, you will be well rewarded." With that, he flicked his fingers, shaping the sunlight into a butterfly and sending it to flutter around Shinichi's head.

The boy's brilliant, blue eyes widened in surprised wonder, and he gazed at the luminous critter with his mouth slightly open until it dissolved in a shower of golden sparks.

Kaito grinned, delighted by the boy's amazement. He could see the curiosity coming to life in the boy's eyes. Soon, Shinichi was scrambling up and down the bank, examining everything in search of an explanation for what he had seen.

Much later, as the sun began to set and the boy reluctantly began the long trek back to town, Kaito could hear him murmuring to himself.

"Was I just imagining things? Maybe it was just a trick of the light." The thoughtful frown stayed on that young face the entire way back out of the forest.

-0-

After that, Kaito started to join in the boy's games more often. It was fun even if Shinichi didn't know he was there. And he loved performing small tricks like the sunlight butterfly for the boy. That look of awe was adorable, and the determined gleam that appeared in those sapphire blue eyes when Shinichi set about trying to unravel the mystery of the magic made him grin.

Still, he had to wonder why Shinichi always came to his forest to play his make believe games of detective. Surely it would be much more entertaining for him if he were to play these games with the other village children. So why didn't he?

The spirit got his answer one afternoon when the boy came stumbling into his forest with scraped knees and an assortment of cuts and bruises.

"What happened?" Kaito demanded, hovering over the child. He noted with mixed exasperation and fondness that, despite his disheveled state, Shinichi still had a book with him. The book had a few smears of dirt across its covers though, suggesting that it too had suffered through whatever ordeal Shinichi had encountered.

The boy's expression remained set as he trudged through the forest, following the familiar route to the riverbank. As usual, he found a comfortable spot by the water and sat down to read. However, the book sat open in his lap on the same page for almost a whole fifteen minutes. Then the book was shut and Shinichi began to rub at the dirt stains on its covers with the hem of his shirt. He worked in silence, cleaning the grime away as best he could. Kaito sat beside him, using just a little bit of magic to help get the dirt to come away more easily.

When the book had been mostly cleaned up but for a few last stubborn smudges, Shinichi carefully set it down beside him and leaned back against the tree behind him. Gradually, blue eyes fluttered closed and muscles that had been tense all day relaxed.

Kaito watched Shinichi doze off with a faint frown of his own. He hated seeing Shinichi like this. It wasn't just the physical injuries—those, though unsightly, were mostly superficial. None of them were severe enough to cause the boy any harm as long as they were kept clean (which Kaito had seen to with a quick protective charm). What really bothered him was the look in Shinichi's eyes and the fact that he hadn't smiled once since arriving. True, the boy didn't smile easily, but usually he was much more relaxed when Kaito saw him. There was also the fact that he hadn't read his book at all. He must truly be feeling out of sorts if he couldn't even distract himself by reading.

Even now, fast asleep, his brows were wrinkled and the corners of his lips turned down.

Indigo eyes grew thoughtful. Humans drew closer to the spirit world when they slept. So maybe…

Reaching out, he placed a hand on the boy's head and concentrated.

Shinichi was sitting on the top step of a wooden porch. The sky overhead was an overcast gray. He had a book on his lap, but its pages were blank. The boy, however, didn't notice. His gaze was fixed instead on a spot in the distance, looking at something only he could see.

Though he wasn't looking—was doing his best not to look—he could still hear them. They were laughing and talking. He couldn't make out the words, but they all sounded so excited.

His hands clenched on the book he was holding. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.

"Why don't you join them?"

He started, looking around. There was someone sitting on the steps beside him. He couldn't make out the person's face, but the presence was familiar. He relaxed and looked away again.

"It's okay. I'd rather read."

"Really? It doesn't look that way to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the eight-year-old huffed before his shoulders sagged just a little. "It doesn't matter anyway. They don't want me around."

"Oh? Did you do something to make them mad?"

"Of course not! It's not my fault they were wrong," he said sullenly. "I'm not going to lie just to make them feel better."

"I see." The person beside him seemed to consider this. "But maybe you could be more tactful?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped.

"I suppose you're right. Would you like to explain?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ah. Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll be here."

Sitting back, Kaito studied Shinichi's face as the boy's sleepy blue eyes blinked groggily open. He still didn't know exactly what had happened, but he could make a few educated guesses. His little Shinichi was a very intelligent child, but also very blunt. It was a combination that could easily alienate others.

Now that he was looking, he could easily see the loneliness tucked behind that stubborn mask of indifference, and it called to something in his own ancient soul. Time wasn't as important or overbearing to beings like himself who lived alongside of it rather than in its power, but even so, it had been a long, long time since he had enjoyed the company of another intellectual mind. While many of the animals in his care were smart, they couldn't exactly carry on a good conversation. Mostly they just wanted to talk about food.

It was then that he realized that, while all this time he had thought that he was keeping Shinichi company, in truth, Shinichi was keeping him company as well.

"You can come here any time," he told the boy, ruffling his soft, black hair with a gentle breeze. "No matter what happens out there or what anyone else says, you will always be welcome here. You aren't alone."

-0-

Shinichi was ten when a group of poachers from a neighboring town decided to go hunting in Clover Forest despite the warnings of the villagers. They had heard of the forest's many rare animals and plants, and they were looking to make a fortune from selling them. They made their first attempt before even setting foot past the forest fringe as one of them let loose an arrow at one of the spirit doves that had been returning from a trip into the village. The arrow grazed the bird's wing and sent it careening into the trees. Heavy footsteps pounded after it, but to the poachers' disappointment they did not find the bird in the bushes as they had expected. They did find the arrow coated with its sleeping draft, but nothing more.

While he cared for and looked after all the animals in his domain, Kaito had always had a soft spot for the birds. The spirit doves in particular were among his most trusted and adored assistants. They were more intelligent than the average avian and had a little magic of their own due to their connection to the spirit world.

He heard the injured dove's distress rippling through the forest. He was not pleased.

The poachers were amazed when their nets and other traps suddenly rose like they were being picked up by invisible hands and mauled them. Their screams, however, went unheard even as they were heaved skyward and left to dangle like laundry from the branches of a particularly tall tree. Standing at the foot of the tree, Kaito directed the invisible spirit vines he had summoned for the occasion to secure the knots holding the wiggling, yelling poachers in place. It wasn't until the following morning that the men were found by the villagers.

"It was a ghost!" one man insisted even as he was being untied. "This damned place is haunted!"

"We did warn you not to anger the forest," Satou, one of the village officials, informed them without much pity. "This is a sacred place. Any hunting must be done strictly according to the ancestral codes."

"That's ridiculous!" another of the men exclaimed in indignation. "It's got to be some kind of trick! You people are just trying to scare everyone else away so you'll be the only ones with access to the resources in this forest!"

"Don't blame us just because you had an accident," Shiratori, the head of the village's wealthiest family, scoffed. "Spirits may not exist, but rules are still rules. Those who break them can hardly complain when they are punished."

Standing off to the side and watching the proceedings, Kaito rolled his eyes. Honestly, some humans these days wouldn't recognize the supernatural if it bit them on the nose. It was no wonder fewer and fewer of them could sense the spirit world. They were blocking themselves off from it.

Soon, the villagers were taking the men out of the forest.

"And don't come back!" Kaito called after them. "Next time, I won't be so merciful."

The problem was that, even though he'd gotten rid of the poachers, he still hadn't found the injured spirit dove. He'd asked all the other doves to help search and felt along the network of spirit vines, but still there was nothing. Either the bird had been taken out of the forest, or it had already died. Neither option was good.

It didn't improve the spirit's mood any that Shinichi stopped visiting the forest for almost two weeks. It was probably to be expected though. After what had happened to the poachers, it was only natural that the adults would want to keep the children from playing in the forest for a while. Just in case it wasn't divine punishment that had gotten to the poachers after all but some unfriendly people hiding out in the wilderness.

Left with nothing to distract himself with, Kaito could only stew. He came up with a few dozen different plots for dealing with the next batch of unwanted visitors and tried not to wonder when Shinichi would return.

It was in the morning almost exactly two weeks from the poacher incident that he sensed Shinichi's presence again. He immediately transported himself to the edge of the forest, grinning in delight at the familiar sight of those pretty blue eyes and that funny little cowlick. Today, however, the boy hadn't brought a book. Instead, he was carrying a small, white bird nestled comfortably on a nest of rags in a wicker basket. Kaito laughed out loud, and the wind in the trees laughed with him.

"And here I was worrying for nothing."

Shinichi started, head jerking up and around. He stood perfectly still for a long moment, holding his breath and listening hard. But eventually he shook his head and started walking. He carried the dove in its basket all the way to his favorite stretch of riverbank before carefully lifting it from its nest.

"Here you go," he told it, petting it gently on the head with two fingers. "I'm sure your friends are waiting for you."

The bird cooed happily, fluttering its wings and hopping onto the boy's shoulder. There, it rubbed its head against his cheek before spreading its wings and soaring away into the trees. Shinichi watched it go with a soft smile on his face, the empty basket sitting on the ground at his feet.

Kaito ruffled the boy's hair, still grinning broadly. "Thank you."

Again, Shinichi started and looked around. It was, the spirit thought, almost as though the boy had heard him. Was it possible?

The thought lingered in Kaito's mind as the seasons continued to change. There were times when he was almost sure that Shinichi had noticed his presence—maybe even seen him. If that was the case then it seemed that Shinichi had been harboring an affinity for the spirit world all along. The discovery thrilled Kaito. It had to be fate that had brought Shinichi to him.

-0-

Shinichi was twelve the first and only time he brought someone with him to visit the forest. It was a girl with brown hair who looked to be about the same age as he was. Kaito watched the two make their way to the river with mixed feelings. He was glad to see that Shinichi had apparently made a friend, but at the same time he felt strangely irritated.

His time with Shinichi was special. He didn't want to share it with this stranger. He hoped she wouldn't be back.

"See, Ran?" Shinichi was saying to the girl with the air of someone who had just proved a point. "I told you I knew the way."

"Okay then, but that doesn't mean it's safe to keep coming here by yourself," the girl, Ran, retorted, placing her hands on her hips like a mother scolding her child. "I don't understand why you keep coming here. That's why everyone else thinks you're strange."

"I don't care what they think," he shot back just as stubbornly.

Ran sighed, turning to look around at the sun streaming through the trees and the river gurgling between its banks. Her posture relaxed a little as she admitted, "It is kind of nice here. Still, don't you find it a bit… I don't know, creepy?"

Blue eyes blinked at her in confusion. "Why would it be creepy?"

"Don't you remember what happened to those poachers a few years ago? And they say a lot of weird things happen to people who wander too far into this forest. I've even heard that there are g—ghosts here." The girl stuttered over the word "ghost", paling exponentially at her own suggestion.

Shinichi just snorted. "That's ridiculous. There aren't any ghosts here."

"But how do you know for sure?" Ran persisted.

"Well if there are ghosts, I've never met any. Although," he added as an afterthought, hand rising to his chin. "I guess I have seen a few odd things here and there."

The girl shrieked in what Kaito thought was a rather overblown reaction and demanded to go back to the village.

Before they left, however, Kaito caught Shinichi whispering under his breath, "If there are ghosts here though, I think they're good ones."

All of Kaito's earlier irritation vanished in an instant.

-0-

It was a beautiful morning in early spring when Shinichi spoke those words that changed everything.

"I guess I better make the most of this while I can," he mused to himself. "I won't be able to come as often once I start working at the bookstore."

Kaito felt his entire being go cold.

Shinichi…wouldn't be coming anymore?

No, no, he corrected himself quickly. Shinichi had said he might not be coming as often. Apparently he'd been hired by the village bookstore (it just figured that Shinichi would want to work at the bookstore). That didn't mean he wouldn't be coming back at all.

But… But what if… What if, one day, he really did—

"You can't!" he declared, but of course Shinichi didn't answer. Growling low in his throat, Kaito began to pace. Oblivious to his sudden anguish, Shinichi opened his book and started to read.

Kaito spun around and stood still, staring hard at the boy seated by the river. The boy had grown so much since that first time the spirit had laid eyes on him. It had been ten whole years. Ten years that had been more memorable for Kaito than the hundred that had come before them. All because of Shinichi.

He wouldn't—no, couldn't—just let Shinichi go. The boy (well, young man now) was too important to him. He had come to care for Shinichi more than he could recall ever caring for another. Seeing Shinichi smile made his own heart warm. He couldn't stand the idea of not seeing that smile again or hearing that rare but wonderful laugh. He wanted Shinichi to continue visiting his forest for years to come.

But that wasn't right either. He wanted more than that. He wanted to be able to talk to Shinichi and hear the boy answer him. He wanted to be able to hold Shinichi and show him all the other wonders of the world that no human had seen in centuries.

He wanted Shinichi to be his forever and always, there by his side to the end of time.

And, with Shinichi's growing awareness of the spirit world, Kaito knew it was possible.

He would have to wait until the boy had come of age. in the meantime he had to get everything ready.

-0-

The seasons passed, and Kaito continued to lay his plans and watch over the boy he had come to love.

It was a warm day in summer that he finally set his plans in motion. Shinichi had recently turned eighteen, and there would be a full moon this night. It was the time of magic and spirits. The time when the boundary between worlds blurred and faded.

Perfect.

-0-

Ever since he had started working at the village bookstore, Shinichi had had to limit his jaunts into the forest to those days that he had off. Inhaling deeply, he let his breath out slowly and smiled. Being here always made him feel more relaxed. Picking his way through the forest to the river, he emerged onto the riverbank and made his way to his favorite rock.

By now, he knew this place like the back of his hand. It was both a comfort and a wonder to think that it had barely changed at all in all the years that he had spent visiting it. He was just about to settle down for a nice few hours of quality reading when he would swear he felt something catch at his ankle.

Shinichi let out a cry that was quickly cut off as he landed in the river with a splash. Resurfacing, he floundered around until he got his feet under him, glad that this stretch of the river was shallow enough that he could stand. He spat out a mouthful of water and began slogging his way back up onto the shore.

"Of all the times to trip!" he grumbled, beginning to try and wring the water from his clothes. Considering he was still wearing them, it didn't work so well. Biting his lip, he cast a surreptitious look around. As expected, he was alone.

Well, there was nothing for it.

A few minutes later, he had laid his clothes out to dry. Now he was sitting on his favorite of the wide, flat river rocks without a stitch on. It was embarrassing, but embarrassed was better than sick. Besides, no one else ever came this far into the forest. No one but the birds and beasts were going to see him, and they wouldn't care.

Unfortunately, his book had also gotten wet and needed to be dried. Left with nothing to do but wait, he was just glad that the weather was so warm.

The spirit smiled. Step one of his plan had gone perfectly. Next, he called to the wind. It came to him, light and warm and playful. But this was no ordinary breeze today. It carried within it a dusting of lazy, summer sunshine and the whisper of a lullaby.

-0-

Blue eyes opened to a sky full of stars and a world lit by the soft, silver light of the moon. Shinichi blinked slowly before sitting up.

He felt strange. His body seemed strangely light, and the edges of the world were all soft and surreal. All around him the shadows of the night shifted and danced. And it was also strange because it wasn't really dark at all. He had never realized how full of color the night could be. Deep blues and purples, greens and browns—all of it lined and laced with pearl and silver.

He found himself walking before he'd consciously decided to do so. He drank in the tranquil beauty of this ethereal night as he wandered deeper into the forest, drawn onward by the sheer wonder of the forest's transformation. It was like magic.

Although he supposed he was probably dreaming. This tranquility and the light, muddled quality of his own awareness all pointed towards this being a dream.

Before him, the trees parted, and he stopped, breath catching in his throat. Before him lay a meadow he had never seen before. It was carpeted in pearl white wildflowers. Their petals seemed to be glowing with a light all their own. It was breathtaking, like a scene from another world.

Shinichi didn't know how long he stood there gazing across that sea of flowers. All he knew was that moonlight had never looked so bright. In fact, he could almost see the moonbeams.

Or maybe he really could. The air itself was shimmering, growing brighter and brighter with each passing breath. And it appeared to be taking on a distinctly humanoid shape.

He wondered if he was supposed to be nervous, but all he could feel was wonder.

That figure of moonlight solidified. He could see now that it was a man. It was a young man around his own age, maybe a year or so older, it was hard to say because though his features were youthful his eyes were old. The color of those eyes caught his attention. They were an unusual indigo shade made all the deeper by the ancient eternity that seemed to look out from behind them.

He felt as though he'd seen them before, but where?

The man smiled then and beckoned with his hand.

Shinichi found his body moving of its own accord once more. His feet carried him forward, their steps slow but sure. In an age that was no time at all, he was standing directly in front of the man.

"Shinichi. I've been waiting for you."

He wondered vaguely how the stranger knew his name, but then again, this was a dream, so he supposed there didn't have to be a reason.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Call me Kaito," the man replied with a soft smile.

Kaito? Shinichi thought through the odd fog in his head. Wasn't that the name of the spirit they said watched over the forest?

"You said you were waiting for me?"

The man took the one step that closed the distance between them completely and wrapped his arms loosely around Shinichi's waist. "For many years."

Blue eyes blinked in mild confusion both at the words and the gesture. He found though that he was strangely comfortable in this man's embrace. Why was this so familiar? "…Years? But why?"

"I wanted to say hello," the spirit murmured before leaning in and catching Shinichi's lips in a gentle kiss.

Shinichi gasped in surprise, giving Kaito the opportunity to deepen the contact.

Some part of Shinichi's mind thought he should be afraid, but he wasn't. It was the strange, surreal atmosphere. He was moving in a dream where his own body and even his thoughts weren't entirely under his own control. Those parts of him knew without reason or doubt that this was only right. Far from being frightened, he found himself slipping his arms up and around the other's neck and returning the kiss.

He felt…like he knew this man. He couldn't explain it. It was like he was an old and dear friend: one who had walked beside him, watching over him, supporting him, protecting him… And that voice. It called to some memory tucked away deep inside him that he couldn't quite place. He had heard it before, somewhere…

Even this embrace was familiar. Kaito's arms holding him firmly against the other's warm, solid body…

This certainly was a realistic dream, he thought a bit fuzzily.

Warm hands caressed his bare back. His skin grew warm beneath their touch, and he shivered (he had forgotten his state of undress until now (how had that happened?), but it was too late to do anything about it even if his mind wasn't too caught up in the moment to want to. Strange though, normally he would be feeling mortified). Unconsciously, he pressed even closer to the spirit as his eyes fluttered shut. A contented sigh escaped his lips.

What was this feeling?

Kaito pressed his cheek against Shinichi's soft, black hair. He had wanted this for so long. Yet he was still unprepared for the sheer joy of finally being able to speak with and touch Shinichi—to have the other meet his gaze and answer his words. He could honestly say that he had not felt this happy in ages.

Turning his head, he brushed his lips across the shell of Shinichi's ear. His hands drifted over smooth skin, delighting in the warmth and reassuring himself that Shinichi really was here with him.

Shinichi melted under the caresses. Those dexterous hands were wandering over his body as though endeavoring to trace every inch of him. They trailed up the side of his neck then down the curve of his spine. Sparks danced in their wake. They paused to massage his shoulder blades before flattening, palms flush against his skin, to slide down his sides. He had to swallow a giggle at the tickling sensation. He turned his face into the crook of the spirit's neck to stifle the sound. He thought a little giddily that Kaito smelled like summer. The caresses moved gradually south until both hands slid all the way down to kneed his rear.

He gasped and blushed. Oh, so this was that kind of dream. He hadn't had one of those since those awkward adolescent days, and he'd certainly never had one like this. Those dreams had been vague and more like washed out echoes of undefined sensations. They had been little more than passing annoyances that he never thought about once he'd woken up.

This was nothing like those dreams. This dream was so vivid that he could almost believe it was real.

Kaito moved to catch Shinichi's lips in another kiss, this one much more heated than the last. He could feel that slender body tremble beneath his touch and he smiled.

He could tell the moment he had laid hands on Shinichi that the boy was still an innocent in the ways of passion. The discovery pleased him. He would be Shinichi's first (and only, if all went as planned).

All the pieces of his plan were falling neatly into place.

One kiss became two then more, evolving into a whole string of passionate kisses that left Shinichi breathless as they pulled each other even closer. Shinichi realized with a start that the body pressed against him was just as bare as his own (but he was sure Kaito had been dressed a moment ago). The realization was enough of a shock to cut through the heated haze that had descended over his mind. Turning bright red, he broke away from the kiss.

"I—I don't…" He didn't know what he was doing—didn't understand why Kaito seemed so familiar when he didn't think he'd ever met him before. He didn't understand the way he was feeling or why he felt so attracted to this man. He didn't understand why he wasn't pulling away.

Sensing the confusion and turmoil in his quarry, Kaito brushed a chaste kiss across Shinichi's cheek before leaning into his ear. "It's okay," he murmured, feeling Shinichi shudder against him. "I'm not here to hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

And he did. But how?

Deciding it was time to move things along, Kaito picked Shinichi up without warning. The boy squeaked in surprise. He wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck instinctively. The next thing he knew, he was being laid down on a white cloth spread over the grass that he hadn't noticed earlier. The fabric beneath him was soft as flower petals and cool as morning dew against his skin. It was a sharp contrast to the hot, solid body above him.

Nudging the disoriented Shinichi's legs apart, Kaito settled down between them, leaned over, and caught Shinichi's lips in another kiss. He couldn't get enough of the taste of those petal soft lips. He was faced with a sudden dilemma. He didn't want to break the kiss, but also wanted to taste more—everything.

A soft moan vibrated in the air, though who it came from was unclear. Shinichi's arms had found their way up to wrap loosely around Kaito's shoulders. When their lips finally parted, Shinichi couldn't stop a disappointed sigh. The night was, however, only beginning.

Kaito ran his tongue along the line of Shinichi's jaw, pleased when the boy tilted his head back to expose more of his neck. He trailed kisses down the curve of Shinichi's neck—licking, nibbling, and sucking like a man sampling a feast. He stopped to leave a livid love bite on the boy's shoulder before gliding over to nibble his collarbone, drinking in the delightful little noises that were slipping from Shinichi's lips like startled butterflies. As his mouth continued its little adventure, his hands decided to start one of their own a little further down. They slid over warm things and slightly bony hips, mapping out every dip and curve. He could feel Shinichi shudder at the touches.

Then one of his hands slid inward to warp firmly around Shinichi's growing arousal. The boy jolted in surprise, gasping as the hand began to stroke. Him. At the same time, the hot mouth that had been lavishing attention on his neck and chest found one of his nipples. He moaned.

Kaito's lips curled in a predatory grin, indigo eyes darkening. He circled the sensitive little nub with his tongue before taking it between his teeth. Shinichi let out a delightful little squeak that dissolved into a whimper as his fingers tangled themselves in wild, dark hair.

Shinichi thought vaguely that maybe he should be pushing Kaito off of him, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do so. Then again, this was a dream. Maybe…maybe he should just enjoy it. He blushed a little at his own thoughts. But the sensations running through his body were just too intoxicating.

That was when something slick touched his entrance.

He gasped, blue eyes flying open. His gaze met indigo and he froze. He couldn't look away from the glowing figure looming over him. Kaito had lifted his head from Shinichi's chest when he felt the boy tense. Now his indigo eyes held Shinichi in place. There was a message in those eyes, he thought, a message whose meaning was just out of his reach.

Kaito took the opportunity while the other was distracted to insert a finger into Shinichi's entrance. The boy squeaked, the adorable blush splashed across his cheeks darkening by several shades. A second finger joined the first almost immediately, and they began to thrust in and out, quick and sure. Shinichi mewled, hands scrabbling at the soft cloth beneath him. The fingers sliding into him were slick with some kind of salve to help ease the penetration (he wondered briefly where it had come from), but it didn't make the sensation any less strange. Strange, but not…entirely unpleasant.

With each thrust, the fingers pushed in a little further. Then they were pressing against a certain spot, sending a jolt of pleasure straight up his spine and out of his mouth as a loud cry.

Pleased by his young lover's responsiveness, Kaito continued to tease that spot as he worked to prepare Shinichi's virgin hole for his own immanent invasion.

To distract both himself and his lover, he ducked his head down to take Shinichi into his mouth. He smirked around his mouthful as gasped and arched under him. Teeth scraped over sensitive skin.

Shinichi's hands flew up to cover his mouth as he saw stars.

His thoughts blanked.

Kaito drew back, licking his lips. What a delightful flavor. The taste of Shinichi on his lips was only served to excite him even more. The way his blue-eyed lover clenched around his fingers was the last straw.

Still floating in a buzzing haze of pleasure and want, it was a moment before Shinichi's awareness registered that the fingers had withdrawn. He didn't have long to contemplate the loss however as something else was touching him there. Blue eyes widened and his blush returned full force. He might have tried to pull away, but he couldn't move. He felt as though all the energy in his body had left with his release. He couldn't even tense. All he could do was whimper as that hot, pulsing rod pushed its way slowly but inexorably past his entrance then deeper and deeper inside of him. But even though it hurt, he could feel his own body growing aroused again in response to the invasion. Then the invader brushed that spot that those fingers had been playing with earlier and he let out an involuntary moan of pleasure, hips jerking in a wordless plea for more.

Kaito didn't stop until he was fully sheathed in his lover's tight, virgin heat. Then he stilled, savoring the sensation of having Shinichi wrapped so delightfully, perfectly tight around his throbbing length. Oh how long had he waited for this?

Leaning over, he pulled Shinichi's hands away from where they were trying to stifle those arousing noises and pinned them to the ground. Then he brushed a gentle kiss over Shinichi's soft lips. Blue eyes fluttered, apparently struggling to stay open. Catching and holding their gaze once more, Kaito pulled slowly out of his lover before thrusting just as slowly back in, making sure that Shinichi felt every inch of his desire. The blue-eyed boy's lips parted in an involuntary moan. Pleased, Kaito repeated the action, setting a slow, controlled rhythm. Each pull and thrust was long and deep.

Shinichi's moans grew louder. He couldn't help it. The pain was still there, but it was gradually being replaced by pleasure. He found himself responding.

As Shinichi began to move with him, meeting his thrusts and arching his body in order to take Kaito in just a little bit deeper, Kaito picked up the pace. His own control was crumbling away faster and faster in the face of his own burning want.

The way Shinichi's slender body writhed when caught up in the intense pleasure of their union was every bit as beautiful as Kaito had imagined it would be. It made his own wild, ancient spirit burn. Lifting those pale hips, he pounded into Shinichi, eager to hear more of those delicious cries and see more of those unrestrained expressions.

Shinichi felt as though his entire being was being consumed by the hot, heavy rhythm of their coupling. When Kaito released his wrists, he threw his arms around the man. Blunt nails raked down his lover's back as his own back arched. Intense waves of pleasure pulsed through his body to escape from his mouth as wanton cries for more. Everything else melted away. All that mattered was the heat and the beat, the powerful body driving relentlessly into his very core and the tension building inside him like a volcano about to erupt.

Then the rhythm reached a crescendo and he screamed as he came. Far more intense than before, the sensations wracking his body were like an all consuming flame.

With Shinichi's walls spasming around him and that erotic cry ringing in his ears, Kaito couldn't contain himself any longer. Pushing himself all the way into his lover once more with one last, hard thrust, he released some of his own power along with his seed, infusing himself into the heated body beneath him.

Shinichi gasped, shuddering. A warm, tingling sensation swept through him, racing along his nerves and going all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes, leaving him feeling oddly light and more than a little dizzy.

"You're mine now," Kaito's voice whispered in his ear as he drifted into the arms of sleep.

-0-

Blue eyes opened slowly to a clear, bright morning.

He was back on the riverbank, he thought groggily. Had that…been a dream? Slowly, he sat up then winced.

His limbs felt heavy and the muscles in his lower back ached. Certain…other places were sore as well. Some of it he could explain away as having been caused by hours sleeping on the hard, uneven rock. But that could only account for so much.

Turning, he stared across the river, thinking back over his dreams from the previous night.

Could…could it have been real?

Raising a hand, he touched his lips, remembering the feeling of those other lips on his. He remembered the warmth and the passion. A hot blush crept up his cheeks.

Had he really…? But it wasn't possible. He couldn't really have met a spirit. And he most certainly couldn't have—been intimate with one. For one, spirits weren't supposed to be tangible. Of course he'd heard people say before that the time of the full moon was a time when the human and spirit worlds converged, but that was just an old superstition. It was something some parents told their kids to keep them indoors at night, saying that people who wandered out at the wrong times could accidentally cross over and never find their way back. It wasn't real.

Except… something inside him just knew that it had been more than a dream. How much more, he couldn't really say, but…

Shaking his head, he hurried to gather up his clothes and put them back on. He could think about what had or hadn't happened later. Right now he had to hurry back to the village before the bookstore opened or his boss was going to be annoyed.

-0-

Invisible eyes watched as Shinichi picked his way back to the village, making sure the boy got home safely.

A smile flickered in the dappled shadows. Phase one had gone exactly as he had hoped. Now, only time would tell.

"Until next time then, Shinichi."


	2. Chapter 2

It had to have been a dream.

That was what he told himself every time the memory of that surreal night surfaced in his mind—which was rather more often than he cared to admit.

It had to have been a dream because it couldn't possibly have been real. That made sense, right?

The problem with that particular explanation, however, was that, well, there were things it just couldn't explain.

The first problem was the way the man in his dreams had looked.

-0-

"What?" Ran exclaimed, taking an involuntary step back. "Why are you asking me? You're not saying—you didn't actually see the spirit, did you?"

"No! No, of course not," Shinichi said quickly. The last thing he needed was for Ran to flip out over the mere mention of supernatural things again before he could get his answers. "I was just curious. And I'm asking you because I know Sonoko's really into those stories about the forest, and I thought she might have told you about it."

"Then go ask Sonoko," Ran retorted, clearly less than pleased with the topic. "You know I hate talking about those things!"

"But—"

"Hey, what are you doing to Ran?"

Speak of the devil, Shinichi thought. He winced as Sonoko came marching up to them and smacked him on the arm.

"I wasn't doing anything," he protested, rubbing at the spot she'd hit. "I was just asking her a question."

Sonoko frowned. "If that's true then why does she look so distressed?"

"He wants to know what the stories say about the way the spirit of the forest looks," Ran answered for him. She shivered at the thought.

"Oh?" The shorter girl perked up. "Why the sudden interest? Aren't you the one who used to say that myths and legends were things people made up to explain things humans can't understand yet?"

Shinichi coughed lightly, flushing under her amused stare. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to ask Sonoko. She was never going to let him live it down. "Well, that still means they're things we don't understand. Besides, why can't I just be curious about the stories?"

"Hmmm, well, you've come to the right place," the girl declared. "I know every story there is about Clover Forest!"

"Right… I just wanted to know what Kaito was supposed to look like."

"Well that's a stupid question."

Shinichi huffed. "And why's that?"

"He's a spirit, Dummy. They can change their shapes. They can appear human or take the shapes of animals. Don't you know anything?"

"Okay, fine, whatever. Do any of the stories say anything about what he might look like when he's human?"

"That's easy." Sonoko clasped her hands in front of her as her eyes filled with stars. "He must be incredibly handsome."

Shinichi spluttered. "That's not even close to a proper description!"

"You asked."

"I meant features. Seriously, if that's all there is to go on, then how come there are people who are so sure they've seen him and not just some random man passing by?"

"Obviously it would be the situations they saw him in," she countered. "Oh, and he's always dressed in white."

Originally ready to leave already, Shinichi froze. "What was that?"

"All the stories agree that he favors the color white. When he's human, his clothes will be white. When he takes an animal form, it will also be white. But you'll know you're not just seeing an albino animal because his eyes are always supposed to be a deep indigo."

"A—are you sure?"

Now Sonoko was giving him a strange look. "What's that supposed to mean? It's not like I've seen him. Yet. What's up with you anyway?"

"Oh. N—nothing," he said quickly. "I was just surprised that the stories would be that consistent about anything."

"And that's why he must be real," Sonoko declared triumphantly.

Ran, who had been doing her best not to hear any of the discussion, shuddered. "Don't say things like that."

"Oh come on Ran. I know you're afraid of ghosts and stuff, but the spirit of the forest is a guardian spirit, not an evil spirit."

"But isn't he the one everyone says hung those men up in the trees?"

"Well, yeah. But they were poachers. They deserved to be punished."

"That doesn't mean it isn't creepy. I mean, just imagine someone you can't see always watching you just waiting for you to do something he doesn't like…"

"I guess if you insist on thinking about it like that then it's no wonder it bothers you," the shorter girl replied. "Personally, I'd love to meet him."

The rest of the conversation was spent with the two girls arguing over what it would be like to really meet Kaito. Shinichi didn't pay much attention though. All he was able to think about was how the image in his dreams just so happened to match the descriptions found in the village legends. Was it just a freaky coincidence? Or was it proof that he really had met a supernatural being?

-0-

It wasn't until later that something Ran had said in that conversation returned to him, bringing with it its own sense of déjà vu.

"I mean, just imagine someone you can't see always watching you just waiting for you to do something he doesn't like…"

Ran had meant for the statement to illustrate her unease, but for Shinichi it had rung a completely different bell.

It was true. Ever since he'd been little, he'd never felt alone while walking the forest trails. It had always felt as though there was someone there with him.

Far from being scary like how Ran thought it was though, it had always made him feel safe.

But two bits of physical description and a feeling weren't enough to convince him that his experience hadn't just been a dream.

But there was also the item he'd found when he'd returned home from his job at the bookstore the same day he'd woken from the dream. He had spent the whole day frazzled and confused. He had only just made up his mind to try and forget the whole strange thing when he'd opened the door to his bedroom and seen it lying there on his windowsill.

He had recognized the flower immediately. It was the same kind of flower he had seen for the first time in that meadow in his dream. Its petals glowed like moonlight spun into the shape of a flower.

Hesitantly, as though afraid that any sudden movement would shatter its delicate form, Shinichi picked it up off the sill. It was light and soft as flowers were, but it was definitely solid. Definitely real.

But if it was real then that dream must not have been a dream. After all, there was no way he could have dreamt of flowers he had never seen before. Unless he had seen them before and simply forgotten? Perhaps in a book? It had been that thought that had driven him to search the botanical texts at the bookstore over the following days.

-0-

"Excuse me, have you seen our copy of Fantastic Flora? I can't find it."

Hondo Eisuke, the other young man that had been hired by the bookstore along with Shinichi, looked around from where he'd been shelving some new books. Shinichi opened his mouth to warn his colleague, but it was too late. Eisuke's shoulder bumped the shelf, causing the small ladder he was standing on to roll out of place. Letting out a yelp, the bespectacled youth fell off the ladder to land in a graceless heap on the ground. To top it off, the book he'd been in the process of shelving fell and bounced off the top of his head.

Shinichi winced. "You okay?"

"I—I'm fine." Laughing sheepishly, Eisuke clambered back onto his feet and straightened out his clothes before picking up the fallen book. "Um, so you were asking about a copy of Fantastic Flora?"

"Yeah. I know we had a copy, but it's not with the other botany books."

"Oh. That's because a lady called in yesterday to ask us to hold it for her. She'll be here to pick it up this afternoon. Until then, it should be in the holding cabinet."

"Oh. Thanks."

"It wasn't a problem. Um, why did you want to see it? Are you planting a garden?"

"Huh? No, it's not that. I just…wanted to look something up."

"Oh. Okay. Well, good luck looking."

Noticing that he only had fifteen minutes left before his break would end, Shinichi hurried to the cabinet where they kept all the books being held for customers. Opening it, he ran his finger along the spines of the books inside. Finding the one he wanted, he pulled it out. He'd already checked every other botanical reference book in the store, barring the ones that weren't currently in stock.

Fantastic Flora was all about flowers. This particular book, however, was a little different from the rest. Rather than being entirely filled with reference material, it included a section on mythical flowers that had not been proven to be real but which appeared in old stories. Some were thought to be extinct. Others were believed never to have existed at all.

Skipping straight to the myths section of the book, he began leafing through the pages, scanning the text and images for anything that might be a clue to a plant like the flower now sitting in a jar in his bedroom.

He had looked through so many books by now that he wasn't really expecting to find anything. But then again, they did say that things tended to happen when you least expected them.

Blue eyes grew wide as his hand froze. There, staring back at him, was a simple sketch of the very flower he had been searching all these days for.

"Oh, my sister loves that story."

Shinichi nearly jumped out of his skin. Whirling around, he found Eisuke standing right behind him. The other young man had always been clumsy, but he also had a strange knack for sneaking up on you that Shinichi didn't quite understand.

Collecting his wits, he looked down at the picture again then back up at Eisuke. "Can you tell me about it? The book only says it was drawn by a little girl who returned to the village after being lost for days in Clover Forest."

"Well, let me see." Eisuke closed his eyes as he thought hard. "It's been a long time since she told it to me, but I can tell you what I remember. My sister said that it happened more than eighty years ago. Two sisters went into the forest to collect herbs for the village healer. They accidentally got separated though, and only the older sister made it back. The entire village turned out to look for the younger sister, but though they looked everywhere, they never found her. After three days, most of the villagers gave up, assuming she was dead. Her sister kept waiting and praying though, saying that she was sure her sister was still out there and that, one day, she would come home.

"Then, almost a full two weeks after she had disappeared, the younger sister came walking out of the forest looking perfectly healthy and happy. Everyone in the village was amazed. They asked her how she had made it back all by herself. It seemed impossible. She was so young—just nine years of age. But she told them that she hadn't been alone at all. That confused everyone since no one had come out of the forest with her, and when they followed the path she'd taken back into the forest, they could only find her footprints in the soft dirt. There was no sign that there had ever been anyone else. So they asked her again about her journey.

"According to the girl, when she noticed that she was no longer with her sister, she had already gotten hopelessly lost. She wandered for hours through the forest, calling and calling her sister's name, but there was never any answer. Just when she was starting to wonder if she'd ever see her sister or her home again, she found herself walking into an open meadow. Night had fallen, and in the moonlight, she saw that the entire meadow was filled with beautiful, white flowers. Entranced by the sight and exhausted from her wandering, she fell asleep there. When she woke up, she found that a stranger had appeared. He was sitting beside her, apparently having been waiting for her to wake up. At first she was scared, but the feeling went away once they began to talk. He asked her where she was from and why she was there. She told him that she was from this village and that she had gotten lost while picking herbs with her sister. To her delight, he said that he knew the path she should take to get home, and that, if she wouldn't mind, he could show her. And he did. He traveled with her the entire way. She said that he didn't just know the way, he also always knew how to find food and water. And that was how she made it home. She drew this picture of the flowers in that meadow in honor of the man who helped her. She said they truly were the most beautiful flowers in the world—like moonlight in the shape of flowers. No one ever found any though. It's believed that they are probably a species that only grows in the depths of the forest where human travelers rarely go. Others say that they're not of this world at all but flowers from the spirit world and that the girl had somehow wandered into the spirit world when she'd been lost. Those are the people who say that the man who brought her home was the spirit of the forest. But most people think he was probably a passing traveler or maybe a hermit who lived by himself in the heart of the forest."

-0-

A meadow full of flowers like moonlight spun into flower form.

Flowers from the spirit world.

That story had sounded awfully familiar.

Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he gazed at the single blossom in its glass jar. He had expected it to wilt after the first few days, but it hadn't. It was still in full bloom. Looking at its soft, luminous petals, it was easy to imagine that it had come from unearthly origins.

His breath left him in a long sigh. Flopping backward so that he was now lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, he chewed on his lower lip.

The more he researched, the more he was starting to think that maybe…just maybe, it really hadn't been a dream. Or at least not entirely.

But if he did believe that that night had been real then what did it mean?

Why had Kaito—

He blushed and shook his head.

Okay. Start at the beginning. Kaito had said something.

He frowned, eyes sliding shut. What was it? He'd said… He'd said that he'd been waiting for Shinichi. That he'd been waiting for many years.

Come to think of it, there had been times when he thought he saw someone out of the corner of his eyes in the forest. There had been flickers of motion he couldn't explain and the echoes of a voice he thought he had only imagined.

Now that he was really thinking about it, he finally remembered where he'd heard that voice. He had spoken to it in his dreams—not the one he'd had about the meadow, but other dreams. Often it was when he'd been upset.

He still remembered at least one particularly vivid dream. That had been around when his parents all but stopped coming back to the village from their journeys, he recalled. Though he hadn't wanted to admit it, that had been a trying time for him.

The sky was dark with clouds. There was a heavy rain falling. The sounds of the large, cold droplets hitting the earth was like a dull, splashy pounding.

Shinichi could barely see a thing through the downpour, but he could make out by the glimmer of reflections and the sound that he was beside a lake. Its waters were as black as the sky, and its presence was a cold, deep stillness.

He wondered why he wasn't getting wet. Not that he was going to complain about it. Though he was dry, it didn't stop him from feeling the cold.

He didn't mind the cold or the rain though. There was something almost soothing about it.

"It sure is dreary in here."

Startled, he turned towards the new voice, but all that greeted him was the same darkness that was everywhere else. And yet, he could sense a presence in that darkness. It was a presence he had felt before.

"Oh, it's you." He turned back to the lake. "I guess this is a dream then. That explains a lot."

There was a pause before the stranger responded. "You've been here a long time."

"What do you mean?"

"This emptiness. You've been carrying it with you for a long time now."

"I still don't know what you mean."

"It isn't healthy to bottle things up you know. And you're still so young."

Shinichi scowled. "I'm not a little kid."

The stranger laughed. "As you say."

Shinichi grumbled. He might only be eleven, but he knew when he was being patronized.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"You always ask me that."

"I suppose I do," the voice agreed amiably.

Shinichi smiled a little at that. He didn't know why, but the comment lifted his mood just a little. "Hey, what do you think makes someone important?"

There was a long pause. "That is an interesting question."

"And that's not an answer," he countered.

"No, it isn't. But really, there is no definite answer to that. After all, there are many different ways in which a person can be important, and every one of those ways will look a little bit different in different eyes."

"I guess that's true…"

That dream had only been one of many.

He always woke from those dreams feeling refreshed and happier than he had been. He used to think of them as thinking dreams. They were times where he could sort out his own thoughts with the help of what he'd thought of as a part of his subconscious. But it seemed that presence hadn't been a creation of his subconscious mind at all.

Kaito really had been there the whole time, he realized. He had been watching over Shinichi since the very first time he'd walked into the forest. That was why he had been so familiar.

So… So it was true.

Not only had he met the guardian spirit of the forest, he had also—been intimate with him. He could remember everything—every touch and kiss. He remembered the passion and the pleasure and the strange sense of longings finally fulfilled. He shivered, face flushing crimson.

But the memory he kept going back to was that of a pair of indigo eyes and a smile so full of warmth and welcome that it made his breath catch in his throat.

The emotions in that expression had been so real that he couldn't bring himself to doubt them for even a moment.

But what did it all mean?

He mulled over the question as he continued his days at the bookstore. Usually spending time organizing, cataloguing, reading, and recommending books served as a way for him to calm his thoughts and soothe away—at least temporarily—any of his worries. Ever since that night, however, he hadn't been able to settle down. He found himself unable to sit still. The restlessness followed him through the day and plagued his sleep at night.

The day before his next break, he made up his mind that he would return to the forest and get some answers if it took another night's stay. Of course he had no idea how you went about looking for a spirit, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. With his mind made up, he slept soundly for the first time since that surreal encounter.

-0-

The following morning, he rose much earlier than he normally would have on a break day and packed a travel bag with food supplies since he didn't know if he would be spending the night searching or not. Then he tucked two books into the pack and headed into the forest.

His feet carried him along the familiar path to the river. Once there, he stood on the shore at a bit of a loss. What now? Should he call out? Could spirits even appear during the day? Other than that night, he'd only ever really seen Kaito when he'd fallen asleep while reading. Those glimpses of a shadow out of the corner of his eye hardly counted. Those could still have been his imagination after all.

Well, try the most logical option first. Feeling just a little bit stupid, he cleared his throat and called out, "Kaito?"

There was no answer.

"Hello?" he tried again. "Is anyone there?"

Still nothing. He sighed. Now he really felt like an idiot.

So what next? A faint frown made its way onto his face. Maybe he could try retracing his steps and finding that meadow full of flowers. He'd never seen those blossoms anywhere else, so they could be a good indicator of location if such things mattered to the ability of spirits to manifest themselves. That story of the lost girl seemed to support the theory. He would have to be careful though since he didn't want to get lost while looking around.

"Let's see," he muttered to himself as he picked his way onto the flat rock he'd fallen asleep on that time while waiting for his clothes to dry. "I started out here."

He had been lying parallel to the river, he recalled, with his feet on the downstream side. He turned so that he was facing in the right direction. But when he'd gotten up, he remembered turning to look towards the river. When he had started walking, it had been upstream but away from the river.

Pulling a small, blank book he'd prepared for the occasion from his pack, he began taking notes on his route, adding little sketches to make extra sure that he wouldn't lose his way back.

Two hours of searching later, and he still hadn't found anything. He considered going farther, but he decided against it. First of all, he didn't think he'd walked that long to reach the strange clearing that night. Secondly, he wasn't a hundred percent sure he'd be able to make it back if he wandered much farther into the tangled, unplanned reaches of the forest.

Stopping for a rest in the open heart of a small grove where the sunlight broke through the forest canopy in a thick shaft, he sat down at the foot of a large tree and pulled out one of the sandwiches he'd packed. While he ate, he pondered his next move.

Should he try sleeping? All the times he could remember actually speaking to the spirit, he had been sleeping—or thought he was, as the case may be. Well, it wasn't like he had anything to lose by trying. He couldn't exactly sleep on command though, even if he was pretty tired.

He took one of the books he'd brought from his pack and settled down to read. This book was one of the new ones that had just arrived on the bookstore shelves. And he'd gotten the very first copy.

Ten minutes into reading and he'd completely forgotten about everything else.

He must have dozed off for a moment though because the next thing he knew his book had gone missing. He blinked slowly. Feeling too warm and lazy to move, he turned his head a little, searching the ground for the missing volume. That was when he noticed that he wasn't alone.

His book was now in the hands of someone sitting beside him.

Slowly, his gaze traveled from the hands with their long fingers which were holding the book in the stranger's lap, up the arms and finally to the newcomer's face. A thrill of mixed shock and wonder raced up his spine as his breath hitched.

"Did you miss me?" Kaito asked.

"You…you're really here," he breathed.

The spirit grinned: warm and cheery. "I'm always here."

"Am I dreaming?"

"Not this time."

"Not this time?" Shinichi repeated, brows furrowing slightly.

"No, not last time either."

"O—oh." Shinichi could feel himself blushing. He tried to ignore it. "But before that, in my dreams. The voice I talked to… That was you, wasn't it?"

"That's right." Kaito looked pleased. "So you recognized me."

"But I don't understand. If you've always been here, how come I've never seen you before?"

Kaito chuckled. "While it's true that the spirit world and the human one exist side by side, there is still a degree of separation. You couldn't see me before because we were on different sides of that wall, although you've always had more awareness than the average human or you wouldn't have sensed me at all."

Shinichi supposed that made sense. "Then what about—what about last time?"

Kaito pretended not to hear the slight stutter. "There are certain times when our worlds draw closer together. The full moon is one of those."

"And what about now?"

"Well~." A hand migrated over to pick up one of Shinichi's, rubbing a thumb over the backs of his knuckles. "That would be because of our little rendezvous last time you visited. Such—intimate encounters bring people closer."

Shinichi didn't respond immediately, digesting the new information. What he really wanted to know, however, was, "Why?"

It was Kaito's turn to pause. Pulling the hand he'd been stroking over so that he could hold it in both of his own, he met Shinichi's gaze. His indigo eyes were warm and sincere.

"It's because I want you to stay with me. You don't have to make up your mind right now. Take some time and think about it. But I want you to know that I've been thinking about this for many years, and I know that nothing would make me happier. I love you."

Shinichi stared, feeling blindsided and at a loss for words. When he'd come looking for answers, he had not expected a declaration of such magnitude. Although, considering what had brought him here to begin with, he supposed he really shouldn't be so shocked. But love? Was he ready for that?

The question followed him all the way home and into his dreams that night. It continued to echo in his head as he resumed his daily routines.

-0-

Tilting his head back, Shinichi looked up into the forest canopy. It had been a week, and he'd decided he was ready.

Setting off into the forest, he let his feet carry him along that familiar path to the riverbank that he had walked hundreds of thousands of times before. As he did, he tried not to think about anything at all, simply letting the tranquility of the forest wash over and through him. When he reached the river, he spent a moment watching the water bubble and glitter beneath the dappled sunlight. Then he turned and walked back beneath the spreading boughs. He wasn't following any particular path this time, just looking for a suitable spot. He found it in the form of a warm, sunbathed clearing.

"Kaito?" he called out, no longer uncertain as to whether anyone was listening. He knew someone was. And so he wasn't at all surprised when he turned around to see that he was no longer alone in the clearing.

Kaito beamed. "You came back."

"I did." Shinichi looked down then back up at the expectant spirit. He took a deep breath. "I don't know if I can make a decision about forever yet. The thing is, even though I think I've kind of always known you were there, I don't think I can really say that I actually know you, and so I can't really make a good decision. But I…I wouldn't mind trying."

Kaito tilted his head slightly to one side, considering. "You mean like dating?"

Shinichi blushed but nodded.

Although, Kaito thought to himself, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it an engagement period. He grinned to himself. Stepping forward, he clasped Shinichi's hands in his own.

"I'd be happy to help you get to know me better. Although I do feel I should warn you that the more time you spend with me, the closer you will draw to my world."

"I guessed that much."

That, Kaito thought, made it sound as though, at least subconsciously, Shinichi had already made up his mind. He'd like to think so.

They spent the rest of the day just talking—mostly about the past. Recalling and sharing moments that they had shared only now, with both of them aware of the whole picture, those memories were taking on whole new dimensions. When Shinichi left that evening, it was with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Kaito watched him go with a fond smile, content. Shinichi had chosen to come back to him of his own free will. And now that he had, Kaito was not about to let go again. Not easily anyway. Because now he knew that the chance was very much a possibility.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been three months. Three months since Shinichi had ventured back into the forest, looking for answers. He'd found many, but they had only raised more questions. It was like a whole new world had opened up before him. It was amazing and intriguing, and he wanted to know more.

-0-

"So were you behind those poachers who were found hanging upside down, tied up in their own nets? I know half the village thinks they just had an accident, but the other half says it was you. Those men were too high up in the tree for an accident to really make sense. Or at least that's what I thought."

Kaito chuckled, looking pleased. "And you would be right. They were asking for it, coming here of all places to ply their trade. They even had the nerve to injure one of my doves!" Indigo eyes flashed dangerously. "I was afraid they'd actually killed her until you brought her back to me."

Now he turned a warm smile on the boy sitting on the rock beside him. Before them, the river bubbled and danced beneath dappled lights. "Thank you for looking after her."

Shinichi blushed under his companion's warm, affectionate gaze. Something in his stomach fluttered at that look. He swallowed and scrambled to find something else to say—anything would do.

"Uh—how come you seem to know everything that's going on, but you didn't know that I had your dove?"

Kaito blinked then laughed. Raising a hand, he gestured to his side. Shinichi followed the gesture and stared. He was pretty sure the rock around them had been bare a moment ago. Now, though, there was a…a vine? It was a translucent jade green in color. Quite pretty, although it seemed to shimmer in and out of focus like some kind of mirage. That was strange, he would swear he could see the vine growing. It curled up, leaves budding, then stopped.

Shinichi eyed it for a moment longer to see if it was going to disappear just as suddenly as it had come, but it didn't.

"What is that?"

"They're spirit vines," Kaito replied. "Most people can't see them."

"But what do they have to do with you not knowing about the dove? Do they…do something?"

"Oh, all sorts of things. They answer to my thoughts and keep me informed of all the goings on in my domain. They're not really a plant, more a manifestation of sorts. You can think of them as extensions of my awareness, if you will. I simply decided a long time ago that vines were a good shape. Very practical and nicely versatile. I started out with threads, but I didn't like how that made it look like my forest was full of giant spider webs."

Curious, Shinichi reached out to run a finger along the ghostly vine. It was smooth and soft as silk to the touch.

"So they bring you information?"

"Well, that might be a bit of an oversimplification, but yes."

"So they don't extend beyond the forest, and that's why you didn't know where the dove was."

"I can send them out beyond the forest if I want to, but it takes more effort, and I would have to actively search. I guess you could compare it to having to squint to see something farther away than you'd normally look."

"So it's like another sense," Shinichi murmured thoughtfully. "Does that mean you can't leave the forest?"

Kaito paused before answering. "That's a complicated question. You see, the spirit world exists alongside of yours. It used to be quite close, but our worlds have begun to drift apart. Some places, like my forest, are still very much connected between the two. Other places, not so much. If you're referring to places in your world then I can only go to those areas that are still linked. In my world, I can go anywhere just as you can in yours. My people travel rather differently from yours though."

"I see. So, um, that meadow with all the flowers…" Shinichi trailed off, face turning pink.

Kaito grinned. "That would be a place on my side. There are many, many others. Would you like me to show you?"

"I'd like that," Shinichi admitted. "But can I? I mean, I'm human."

"There are certain times when the conditions are right that, with a little help, humans can cross over into the spirit world. The full moon, for example, is a very magical time. Of course, you do need a bit of natural affinity, which you have. Most humans these days don't have enough spiritual awareness to cross between no matter what the situation is."

"Then other than the full moon, what times are the worlds closer together?"

"My, my, so many questions!" the spirit laughed. "You certainly are a curious one."

Shinichi blushed but met Kaito's amused gaze with a defiant one of his own. "Well I think I deserve some answers after everything that's happened. Besides," he added, voice dropping into softer, more serious tones. "You know so much more about my world than I know about yours. I want to understand."

Indigo eyes blinked before a softer, slightly surprised smile replaced Kaito's more usual cheery grin.

-0-

The whole situation with Kaito was even more surreal than the world he was introducing.

Shinichi thought that it was a lot like finding out retrospectively that you'd been dating someone for years and hadn't even known it. The other party was familiar, and being in their presence was comfortable. The only thing that had changed was that you'd gone from being friends to being lovers.

The thought made him blush, and he corrected himself quickly. They weren't exactly—that yet. Okay, they had that time, but that had been more like a…a one night stand or something (although that didn't seem right either. It had been much more personal, much more heartfelt, than that). Things were made that much more complicated by the fact that he'd only just started being able to actually talk to Kaito.

But as they continued to spend time together, Shinichi found himself growing more and more comfortable not only with the idea that Kaito was real (which, mind you, had taken quite the getting used to), but also with the idea that they really could be more. It was a creeping realization that he hadn't even noticed until he'd caught himself thinking of that moonlit night with a warm, almost giddy sort of pleasure. That wasn't to say it wasn't still embarrassing, but he realized that a large part of that embarrassment stemmed from the fact that he'd enjoyed it.

And the fact that he really did like…

He stopped that thought before it could finish. He couldn't quite bring himself to say it. Not yet. He was only just beginning to understand the feeling, after all. Undeniable as that feeling was, he was still adjusting to its presence and what it meant—what it would mean.

-0-

There was a dove sitting on his windowsill. Shinichi stared. He had just gotten back from his shift at the bookstore.

The dove stared back at him with intense little beady black eyes. It was one of Kaito's spirit doves, he was sure. He'd learned to tell the difference between those and normal doves. It was in the unusual whiteness of their feathers—a white so pure it all but glowed—and the intelligence in their eyes.

"Uh, did you…need something?" He felt just a bit silly, talking to a bird, but he'd learned that they understood human speech just as well as any human would.

The bird bobbed its head. Turning, it darted away from the window then back.

"You want me to go with you," he guessed.

Another head bob.

Caught between confused and concerned, Shinichi slipped the jacket he'd just removed back on. Kaito had never called him out like this before.

When he arrived in the forest, it was to see Kaito wearing the grimmest expression Shinichi had ever seen on his face. It immediately set off alarms in his head.

Kaito didn't wait for him to speak. "You need to evacuate your village. You can bring everyone into the forest."

Shinichi gaped. "What?"

"I received news that a marauding gang of bandits is headed this way. They've already razed seven other villages. They've slaughtered anyone who got in their way, taking whatever they want then burning the villages to the ground. Everyone from children to the elderly have suffered at their hands. They have no mercy."

It never crossed Shinichi's mind to doubt the spirit's words. "When will they be here?"

"Tomorrow morning. You have to move fast. Bring them into the forest, and tell everyone to stick together. I will open the path for you."

"I'll go right now." Spinning on his heels, Shinichi ran all the way back to the village. As he ran, his mind raced. How was he going to get everyone to listen to him? If he told them he'd gotten the news from Kaito, he'd be laughed out of town. While he didn't care if they laughed, it also meant no one would listen. And that could not be allowed to happen.

When he reached the village, he headed straight for Satou Miwako's house. As one of the most respected officials in the village, she had a lot of sway. She was also the most likely to listen to what he had to say. She'd always had a soft spot for him. Her fiancé, Takagi, was also quite well liked. If he could convince them then he should have no problem getting everyone into the forest.

"Bandits?" Satou repeated a few minutes later.

Shinichi nodded. "I met a messenger from one of the villages that were attacked when I was in the forest. He's been traveling the area to warn everyone about the bandits."

"But how do we know he was telling the truth?" Takagi wondered.

Satou frowned. "It's better to be safe than sorry. It's worth a few nights in the forest to be sure."

Under Satou's direction, the villagers were informed of the impending danger and then evacuated from the village. Shinichi, being well known for his frequent ventures in the forest, led the way. He was surprised when Kaito fell into step beside him.

"What—" he started to ask, but Kaito silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"No one else can see or hear me," Kaito told him with a wink. "If you start talking to me, they're going to think you've lost it."

Shinichi glanced back at the line behind him. Satou had them all walking two by two. He was bemused to see that Kaito was right. No one seemed to have noticed the stranger in their midst at all. Not even Sonoko—though not for lack of trying, if the way she was looking this way and that was any indication. In contrast, Ran seemed determined not to look too hard into any of the shadows beneath the trees just in case she saw something she would later regret. Behind the two girls, Eisuke was somehow managing to trip over every protruding root that appeared.

"This way."

With Kaito's guidance, they made their way deeper and deeper into Clover Forest until they came upon a large, grassy clearing.

"You can stay here," Kaito told him. "There's a stream over there, and the trees there are all fruit trees that bear fruit this time of year."

Shinichi shot him a grateful smile before turning to tell Satou, pretending that this was a place he'd known about all along.

The following morning, they saw smoke rise from the direction of the village. Everyone watched that wiggly black pillar rise against the blue of the sky with mixed feelings: relief, dread, sorrow, anger, and joy.

They stayed in the forest for three days, though the smoke had stopped rising at the end of day one. When they emerged from the forest, it was to see that, though the village had clearly been ransacked, the bandits must have decided that it wasn't much fun totally destroying an empty village. Many of the homes and other buildings in the village would have to be rebuilt or repaired, but that was a small price to pay. Once everyone had safely returned to their homes (or a friend's home for those whose homes were currently uninhabitable), Shinichi returned to the forest. It was already late evening, but the poor lighting didn't bother him in the least. He knew that Kaito would never let him get lost.

He found the spirit just beyond the forest fringe. He was standing beneath a particularly large tree. He smiled when he saw Shinichi.

"How's the village?"

"Just a bit of property damage. Nothing to worry about," Shinichi replied. "Everyone's just happy that none of the people were hurt."

"That's good."

Kaito was a little startled when Shinichi suddenly hugged him. Though the other didn't mind it when Kaito invaded his personal space, this was the first time he'd initiated any kind of more intimate contact between them.

"Thank you," the boy whispered, voice just a little hoarse with relief and gratitude.

Though surprised by the gesture, Kaito was quick to return the embrace. "You're welcome."

And then, since it seemed like the perfect opportunity, Kaito tilted Shinichi's chin up, leaned down, and brought their lips together in a soft, lingering kiss.

To his delight, Shinichi returned the kiss.

-0-

"Come before sunrise. I want to show you something."

The sky overhead was still dark as Shinichi left the village. It was his day off, so normally he would have slept in. He'd never been a morning person. But with Kaito's words from the last time they met bouncing around in his head and his own curiosity nibbling at him, he'd been determined not to be late.

He met Kaito just as he crossed over the border of the forest. The spirit didn't bother with greetings. He just grabbed Shinichi's hand and started pulling him along as they made their way towards the heart of the forest.

"We have to hurry," he said, excitement dancing in indigo eyes.

"But where are we going?" Shinichi asked, trying not to stumble over the uneven grounds of this unfamiliar trail.

"Tsk, tsk, if I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise."

Knowing he wouldn't be getting any more answers, Shinichi looked around instead. Was it just him, or was the forest different today? The colors seemed more vivid and the air clearer. The still feeble rays of sunlight almost seemed to sparkle where they came through the canopy overhead. What was going on?

This feeling was just a little familiar.

"You can feel it, can't you?"

Surprised, Shinichi tore his gaze from a flowering shrub they were passing (he'd never seen that shade of blue or that type of flower before) to see Kaito grinning at him. "Feel it?"

"You're in my world right now."

Blue eyes blinked before understanding dawned. And now that he knew, he wondered how he could have not noticed before. The forest today felt very much like that night he had woken up by the river, except that this time his thoughts were completely clear. He took everything in with a growing sense of wonder. The whole forest felt more…more alive—richer to every sense he possessed.

"It's amazing," he breathed.

Kaito's grin grew wider. "You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until we get to where we're going."

Shinichi wasn't sure how long exactly it was that they spent traversing those twisting paths. It was difficult to tell time here. The sun hadn't risen yet but it wasn't dark either, and even something about the space seemed different. He didn't know if it was because he wasn't used to it or if this place just didn't register to his senses the way that they should. In the midst of his musings, it seemed they had reached their destination.

The trees parted, and suddenly his ears were filled with the roar of rushing water. A gasp escaped his lips.

It was both the strangest and most incredible sight he had ever seen.

They were standing on a rocky shore where the ground shimmered and gleamed like multicolored crystal. Yet despite the faceted surface, it didn't feel slippery beneath the soles of his shoes. What had taken his breath away, however, was the massive waterfall that seemed to be falling straight out of the sky and into a pool that rippled with light. The waterfall itself didn't look so much like it was made of water as liquid starlight pouring from the sky. Even as they watched, the sun rose. The sky blazed gold and pink. The color bled into the water, cascading from above in a radiant stream to spread through the pool below like watercolor spreading across paper. For a moment, it was as though the whole world had caught fire, burning gold.

The two spectators stood together and watched in silence as the colors continued to shift. Finally, when the sun had risen fully, the waters were a beautiful sky blue touched with white.

Kaito turned to Shinichi with a smile. "The sunset is just as amazing. Would you like to wait for it?"

"I would. But is it okay for me to stay that long?"

"This phase should last until midnight tomorrow your time. it'll be fine."

So they'd spent the day on the shore of that inexplicable waterfall. Kaito had conjured a rather lavish spread of food from berry pies to fried sweet potatoes to glasses of fruit juices Shinichi couldn't even name. He was itching to know where it had all come from, but he decided he'd ask some other day. For today, he just wanted to enjoy this experience.

Kaito was right. The sunset was just as breathtaking as the sunrise.

And when Kaito asked him if he wanted to stay the night, he agreed, trying to ignore the warm flush he could feel creeping across his face.

-0-

Their second time was, Shinichi found, even more intense than the first. Perhaps it was because, this time, he knew he wasn't dreaming. Even more than that though, he knew by now that Kaito was important to him.

-0-

"Kaito?"

"Yes?"

"Why is this your forest?"

Kaito blinked. "Huh?"

"I was just wondering. I mean, the people who live along the outskirts all refer to it as yours, but that's just superstition, right? But you call it yours too. Is it because you're the only spirit that lives here?"

Kaito blinked again then burst out laughing.

That had not been the reaction Shinichi had expected. Was it really that strange a question? Was Kaito still laughing? Honestly, strange question or not, he didn't have to laugh that much, did he?

"Are you going to answer the question or not?" he snapped finally, fed up with being laughed at. Wasn't Kaito the one who'd said that asking questions was a good thing?

"Sorry, sorry," Kaito apologized through continued spates of chortling. "It's just—it's such basic information that it never occurred to me that you wouldn't know."

"Well sorry I'm so ignorant then."

"Hey, hey, don't be like that. I didn't mean it that way." Kaito waved his hands in a placating manner. "It's quite simple. This is my forest because I live here."

"…That's it?"

"My people develop a sort of synergistic bond with the places where we live. They become a part of us as we are a part of them. It's a little hard to explain actually, now that I think about it."

"Does that mean your people always live by yourselves?"

"Heavens no. It depends on the place and our own preferences. Water spirits in particular like to live in large groups. Generally, the strongest spirit in an area is the one in charge."

"So once you've settled down, do you ever move?"

"Sometimes, if we really want to, but it's not common. We'll visit other places, but you know what they say. Home sweet home, right?"

Shinichi blinked then laughed. It was interesting, he mused. It seemed some concepts were true everywhere.

-0-

"Why are you so happy?"

"Huh?" Confused, Shinichi looked up from where he'd been shelving books (and sneaking the occasional look at the contents—hey, they were new, and it wasn't like the shop was busy today) to find Sonoko and Ran standing behind him. Sonoko had her hands on her hips as she eyed him with the suspicion that she often directed his way for one reason or another. "Were you two looking for a book?"

"Actually we came to see if you wanted to join us for lunch if you haven't had your lunch break yet," Ran replied.

"Hey, you didn't answer my question," the shorter girl butted in. "What are you so happy about?"

He tried his best, he really did, but he couldn't suppress the faint blush that surfaced on his face. He prayed that Sonoko wouldn't notice, but it was Sonoko. She had a sharp eye for certain things.

The next thing he knew, she was right up in his face, grinning like a witch. "Oh ho! You're blushing! Did something good happen?"

There should be a law against pronouncing words that way, Shinichi thought furiously. How could anyone put so much innuendo into a one-syllable word anyway? It shouldn't be possible! But Sonoko managed it somehow, and damned but he just knew his blush was growing redder.

Behind her friend, Ran's eyes widened as she stared at his face. "Wait. So then, something really…?"

"No! No," he blurted, waving his hands frantically in front of himself and forcing Sonoko to take a hasty step back. "It's not like that at all!" Except that it kind of was. He swallowed hard and tried to think of a good excuse. "I was just—the sequel to one of the series I'm following just came in!"

Sonoko rocked back on her heels, her expression clearly disbelieving. "Yeah, right. And it made you blush? What're you reading?"

Shinichi held up the book in question, grateful for the excuse (even if it was a bit inadequate).

"The Mystery of the Third Witness," Sonoko read aloud then wrinkled her nose. "Man, only you would be happy to read a book with a boring name like that. And here I thought maybe you were finally getting a life."

"Sonoko!" Ran hissed, elbowing her friend as she shot Shinichi an apologetic look.

"I'm just saying," Sonoko grumbled. "If he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life alone, he needs to stop reading all the time and get out more. I mean, even Eisuke scraped up the courage to ask you out. Did you know that this genius," she pronounced the word "genius" in a manner that clearly screamed "idiot", "has never even gone out on one date?!"

"You're the only person in the village who thinks that dating is required for having a life," Shinichi said dryly. "Plenty of people out there live perfectly happy lives without dating."

"Maybe so, but I'll bet they do more than read all day."

The thing about arguing with Sonoko, Shinichi thought, was that you could never win. It didn't matter how logical your arguments were or how much evidence you had. She always found a way around it. It was actually kind of amazing in its own weird way. She was going to make one hell of a merchant one day.

"So were you coming with us to lunch or not?"

Shinichi blinked. That was the other thing about Sonoko. She could switch tracks without warning. "Uh, sure. Just let me finish putting these away."

"You know, she really does mean well," Ran told him later as the two of them followed Sonoko out of the bookstore.

Shinichi snorted, but for all Sonoko's attitude, he knew Ran was right. "I know. But really, I'm fine with the way things are for now."

"Shinichi…"

"What is it?"

"Are you…planning on leaving?"

Shinichi halted in mid step. "Huh? Why would you ask me that?"

"It's just that you always seemed like you were somewhere else—not literally, but, you know, like your heart was somewhere else. I always had the feeling that you were restless just being here in Beika."

Shinichi was silent for a long moment as he pondered her words. There was, he realized, a degree of truth to them. The village was such a small place. And while he liked it well enough, part of him had always yearned to see more. It was one of the reasons he spent so much time buried in one book or another.

At the same time, he hadn't been able to bring himself to just leave. There were people in Beika that he would miss. People like Ran and Agasa, the old bookstore owner. Hell, he might even miss Sonoko on her better days.

And he would have missed Kaito…

Kaito, who had been there for him, watching over him, for more than a decade. Kaito, who was now showing him a whole new world he had never even realized existed. Kaito, whom he wanted to understand. He wanted to be able to be there for Kaito the way the other had been there for him. Was that even possible for a human to do? On the other hand, he'd never know if he didn't try.

"Shinichi?"

"O—oh, sorry Ran. What did you say?"

The girl let out an exasperated sigh. "I asked you if you were okay. Sonoko's already way ahead of us."

"Ah, I'm fine. Let's go."

-0-

He was in love.

There. He'd said it.

Now if only he could gather the courage to tell Kaito.

-0-

"Can you read minds?"

"…No?" Kaito gave him a quizzical look. "That was out of the blue. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Shinichi said a little too quickly. "I was just curious."

Kaito arched an eyebrow, wondering why the boy was blushing. That question didn't seem remotely blush-worthy, even for someone as predisposed to blushing as Shinichi. Unless…

He smirked, leaning over to peer into Shinichi's face. "What, are you thinking something naughty~?"

Shinichi's blush instantly darkened tenfold as he spluttered. "What? No! That—argh! That's not what I was thinking at all!"

"Okay, okay," Kaito laughed, holding up his hands. "I was just teasing. No, I can't read minds. So you're going to have to tell me if there's something you want me to know."

"Right." He supposed it had been too much to hope for. Besides, these things were the kind that needed to be voiced regardless at some point. It was just that he'd never been good at talking about his feelings.

-0-

"These…are for me?"

Shinichi blushed at the surprised look on Kaito's face but nodded. "You don't have to read them if you don't want to," he said hastily. "I wasn't sure what kinds of stories you'd like, but all of these are relatively new. I remember you said you hadn't gotten to read anything new for a long time, and you spend most of your time by yourself, so I thought that maybe…" He waved an expressive hand at the small basket of books he'd brought with him.

Ah, so Shinichi was worried that he might be bored having to spend so much time without intellectual company. Kaito smiled in fond amusement. He'd always been good at entertaining himself, and having a whole forest to look after meant that there was little time for boredom. But it was true that it had been a while since he'd last read anything the humans had written, and he enjoyed a new story as much as anyone. It would be interesting to see what people were writing nowadays. And the books would give him a better look into Shinichi's world. After all, though he knew a lot of facts and history, he hadn't dealt personally with humans much of late, and their thoughts and ideas changed so quickly that he was sure there was much he could learn.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, leaning down to steal a kiss. Shinichi smiled, face still faintly flushed pink.

-0-

Kaito was fairly certain by this point that Shinichi returned his feelings.

Shinichi was coming to see him more often of late despite Kaito's warnings about the effects prolonged exposure to the spirit world could cause in him. And if that wasn't proof enough, there was that day a few weeks ago when Shinichi had brought him something he called chocolate. He'd mumbled something about a caravan coming through town and one of their craftsmen teaching a class on chocolate art. The pair of chocolate doves had been very cute, but not quite cute enough to save them from being eaten. Chocolate, Kaito decided that day, must be one of mankind's greatest inventions. He had to find a way to make his own. Er, but he was getting sidetracked, wasn't he?

The chocolate had been awesome, but just as memorable was that moment when Shinichi had leaned up and given him a kiss (blushing madly all the way). Shinichi wasn't the kind of person who would kiss someone he didn't love. The fact that he had started volunteering to stay over night about sealed the deal. Everything had just clicked into place then, and things had only blossomed from there.

He still wanted to hear Shinichi say it though. Wanted to hear those words from his beloved's lips so that he could really be sure.

But he could wait until Shinichi was ready. Until then, he was content to let their actions speak for them both.

-0-

Shinichi was sitting comfortably on a cushion woven by spirit vines. It was autumn, and all around them the forest was turning orange, red, and yellow. Despite the season, it wasn't cold. Shinichi suspected that Kaito was behind that. He was never cold when Kaito was with him.

They had just spent the last two hours playing chess. Shinichi had brought a set into the forest to show the spirit since Kaito said he'd never seen one. Kaito had picked up the rules very quickly though, and by the end of the three hours, he was already playing like an old hand.

Now they were relaxing, letting their minds wind down from the very strategy-intensive game. Kaito pulled two tall glasses of fruit juice from thin air and handed one to Shinichi.

The boy accepted it with a grateful smile. He drained half his drink in a go then pulled the glass away from his lips and held it up to the light. The liquid inside was a rich red in color. It tasted like raspberry juice.

"I've been wondering. When you conjure food and things, where are they coming from?"

"Where? Whatever do you mean? It's magic," Kaito laughed. Seeing the dissatisfied look on Shinichi's face, he elaborated. "I can convert anything here in my realm into other forms. The more complicated the process should have been to make whatever I'm conjuring, the more magical energy it takes."

"So it's not actually coming out of thin air," Shinichi concluded.

"Nope. Just elsewhere."

"So I guess that's also true for…er, never mind."

"What? Come on, spill it."

Shinichi flushed, ducking his head. "Uh, it's not important, really. I was just thinking about that salve—" He slapped a hand over his mouth.

Kaito thought for a moment then smirked as he understood what Shinichi was asking about. "Ah, that was a salve made from vivaliss blossoms."

Shinichi coughed lightly, made to drink from his glass, and discovered that it was empty. He glared at it then set it aside (where it promptly vanished along with Kaito's empty glass). "I…I've never heard of it." He hadn't smelled a fragrance quite like it before either, which was really the only reason he'd been thinking about it.

"There are many, many plants that humans have yet to discover. And their names for them will probably be different when they do. Vivaliss salve helps muscles relax." A mischievous smirk appeared on Kaito's face. "I thought about using sun drop berries, but I thought it might be too much for you for our first time."

Shinichi reddened further, but his curiosity was piqued. "What do you mean?"

Kaito leaned in towards him, voice lowering into a suggestive purr. "I can show you."

Shinichi could feel the heat rising in his face. His throat had gone mysteriously dry. "S—show me…?"

"As you wish~."

Blue eyes widened, and Shinichi hastily opened his mouth to stammer that he'd been asking a question, not making a request. But what emerged from his throat instead was a squeak of embarrassed surprise when he felt something pulling down his pants. He looked down to see that the something was a pair of vines. His hands moved automatically to stop them, but two more vines caught his wrists. Another wrapped itself around his waist, lifting him up a little and allowing the first two vines to tug his pants and undergarments all the way off.

"H—hey!" he protested, blushing madly. He might have tried to get up, but that action too was thwarted as his knees and ankles were captured like his wrists. The vines tugged his knees up towards his shoulders and out, spreading his legs wide. Feeling embarrassingly exposed, he looked up to find Kaito hovering over him with that mischievous smirk on his lips that Shinichi had come to know quite well. That expression always made his heart beat faster. He'd been seeing it more often ever since the leaves started changing color. Did the season have something to do with it?

"What do you think you're doing?" he half squeaked before he mentally slapped himself. That was a really dumb question, wasn't it? Fortunately, Kaito chose not to comment on it. Instead, he shifted even closer, leaning over Shinichi like a predator over captured prey. His expression seemed almost incongruously playful.

"You're curious~."

Shinichi flushed even redder because the other was right. Curse his curiosity. It had always had a mind of its own really.

Kaito chuckled. "No need to be shy about it. Curiosity is a good thing to have." He leaned down to brush a chaste kiss across his forehead then whisper into his ear. "It makes life much more fun."

Shinichi gulped. He could hear his own heart beating: quick and erratic. He thought he should say something, but his mind was having trouble forming suitable words. It didn't help that he wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

Slick fingers trailed lightly over his thighs before traveling down to rub gently against his entrance. Shinichi's breathing quickened as his quivered at the touch. Rather than entering him, however, those fingers trailed up to paint glistening patterns on his stomach. Kaito's other hand undid the buttons on Shinichi's shirt, brushing aside the halves to bare his chest to the open air and, consequentially, his salve-covered fingers. They circled Shinichi's nipples, pinching and rubbing at each in turn. Shinichi gasped and squirmed. The hand slithered down again to give his growing arousal two long, hard pulls before wandering off again, this time to tickle his sides. He groaned.

Blue eyes snapped open abruptly to find Kaito's face mere centimeters from his own. Shinichi barely registered that fact though as his thoughts were currently focused elsewhere. The areas the salve had touched were starting to tingle with heat. It spread across his skin, following the path that Kaito's fingers had taken. It traveled up and down his thighs and across his abdomen and certain other, more sensitive places. The sensation grew until it was a burning, but there was no pain. He shuddered, breaths and pulse quickening.

Smirking at Shinichi's reaction, Kaito leaned in to brush a kiss over the boy's parted lips.

"These berries are quite spicy if you eat them," he murmured against Shinichi's lips. "As you can feel, they make a nice thick, smooth salve." As he spoke, he eased two fingers into Shinichi's twitching entrance.

Shinichi gasped as that prickling heat moved inside him. His hips jerked involuntarily against the vines holding him in place and a whimper escaped his lips.

The fingers stilled. "If you want to stop, just tell me."

"N—no." Shinichi felt his cheeks burn. "It—it feels good."

The fingers eased further in, rubbing and pressing and stretching him as they spread that tingling fire. Shinichi's head fell back against the trunk of the tree behind him. His lips parted as his breath left him in soft pants.

Kaito gave one last thrust of his fingers before pulling them out of his squirming lover. He could tell that Shinichi wanted more, but Kaito wasn't in any hurry. He was in the mood to savor.

Long fingers danced over warm skin. They were followed by a hot tongue. Kaito licked and nipped along the insides of Shinichi's thighs. The vines tugged Shinichi's leg out a little further to give him better access. Slowly, he worked his way up, mapping every inch of the boy's pale skin. Shinichi found himself stifling a giggle as that talented mouth pressed hot, wet kisses across his stomach and fingers still slick with berry salve pressed into his sides. The giggles turned to mewls as a tongue dipped into his belly button.

Kaito smirked, relishing in every little noise that slipped from his lover's lips.

Shinichi groaned. The tingling, burning heat crawling over his skin and spreading inside him was making his toes curl, but there was no friction. It made it worse (or should that be better?) that Kaito's hands and mouth were finding all the most sensitive places on his body. He wanted—

"Kaito."

"Mmmm?" His partner murmured against the side of Shinichi's neck where he'd been rather diligently leaving his mark. He shifted to brush a loving kiss across Shinichi's temple. "Is something wrong?"

"I—I want…to feel you, inside— " Shinichi managed to say between soft pants. He squirmed and whimpered. "Kai…"

Kaito stilled for a moment, eyes just a little wide. Then, so abruptly it made his partner gasp, he crushed his lips to Shinichi's in a rough, sloppy kiss and shifted himself into position. The vines lifted the blue-eyed boy's hips a little to give him better access. Indigo eyes fixed on Shinichi's flushed face, he thrust his stiff member all the way into Shinichi in one hard, fast stroke.

Shinichi's head fell back as his eyes squeezed shut and his lips parted in an almost soundless cry.

He wasn't given any time to contemplate the sudden fullness as Kaito immediately began to move. He pulled out almost all the way then thrust back in again hard and fast. Shinichi's back arched and his toes curled.

His head spun.

The tingling, burning sensation induced by the salve Kaito had used to prepare him combined with that hot, hard cock thrusting deep inside him, again and again—it was frankly rather overwhelming. Cries of pleasure were spilling uncontrollably from his lips now as he writhed against his bonds. His whole body was wracked with the almost overpowering sensations. Electric jolts of pleasure pulsed along every nerve in time with Kaito's movements inside him.

"D—don't stop," he demanded breathlessly between moans. He didn't want it to end. "Harder."

Kaito wasn't about to argue.

The vines still holding Shinichi's wrists captive released their hold, and he immediately wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck. They moved together, their thoughts just as entwined as their bodies. The world melted into shades of fire.

Sensing that Shinichi was close by the way the boy was tightening around him, Kaito picked up the pace of his thrusts. Then Shinichi was clamping down around him as his back arched and he came, wetting both their stomachs. And Kaito couldn't help but follow suit, pushing all the way in before releasing himself, filling his lover completely.

It was a few minutes before either of them moved again. The vines withdrew at a thought from their master. Kaito gently slid himself out of Shinichi and sat back on his heels to observe his beloved.

Shinichi was still panting hard as he sat there with his back against the tree, pale skin flushed from exertion and legs still splayed wide. His head was resting against the tree trunk and his eyes were closed beneath sweat soaked bangs. He was still mostly undressed but for the shirt hanging open and just barely clinging to his shoulders. He looked thoroughly ravished, Kaito thought, eyeing the image with self-satisfied approval. The sight made him want to do it to Shinichi all over again.

But he knew that Shinichi would have to head back to the village soon. His shift at the bookstore started early on the morrow, so he wouldn't be able to stay the night. Not wanting to disturb his love just yet though, Kaito decided to use a bit of magic to get them both cleaned up and dressed. Then he sat down beside Shinichi and gathered the boy against his side.

Shinichi shifted, wrapping an arm loosely around Kaito and letting his head rest on the taller man's shoulder. A soft, contented smile played about his lips. Kaito mirrored the expression as he ran his fingers through soft, black hair.

The silence was warm and comfortable.

It was Shinichi who broke it.

"I…I do."

"Hmmm? Do what?"

"Love you." Shinichi was blushing again, but he looked determined. "I…I want to be able to stay with you. But for now, I still want to live in the village too. If that's okay with you."

Face breaking out into a broad grin, Kaito pulled him into a tight embrace. "Of course. Anything for you. I love you."

"K—Kai, can't breathe—!"


End file.
